Salvation of Love
by The Original Space Cadet
Summary: When Chip and Vida find themselves on their own against a powerful enemy, can love save them? Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers.

It was a normal day in the city of Briarwood. Or at least as normal as it got ever since the Power Rangers showed up. In the months following the appearance of the spandex-clad fighting force, the citizens of Briarwood had come to accept that normal was simply the time in between monster attacks. In a small record store known as the Rock Porium, there were a group of 5 young people who knew that fact better than anyone. They knew because they were the Power Rangers. In the months since they had become the defenders of the planet, they had come face-to-face with sorceresses, troblins, dragons, vampires, and various other creatures thought to exist only in legend. They had learned of the existence of magic, how easy it was to use-simply believe, seen its wonders, and seen its dangers. The word "normal" would never mean the same thing to them again.

But in spite of all the otherworldly things they had seen, they had also witnessed very human things. New friendships made. The deepening of already close friendships. Well, at least three of them had noticed that, anyway. The other two were the ones in question concerning a deepening friendship. Amazingly, though it was happening to them, they hadn't seemed to have noticed it. At least not yet.

Their friends certainly had, however. And as that was the subject on their lips as they went about their work for their eccentric yet likable boss, Toby. "Hey guys," Xander called out from his comfortable position in a nearby chair as he sat "supervising" the others, his Australian accent clearly giving away his place of origin, "can you believe Chip and Vida still haven't admitted their feelings?"

From behind the register, Madison, Vida's sister, replied "I know. Vida talks about Chip more and more at home lately, but when I try to suggest she's falling for him, she'll deny it." Her dark hair moved in perfect synchronization with her head as she shook it.

"It's so obvious," another voice chipped in. This voice belonged to Nick, who had ridden into town on his motorcycle one day. Though originally only planning to stay for a short while, his duty as Red Ranger had caused him to stay longer than anticipated. In fact, it had been long enough for him to consider Briarwood home and the others his first real friends. As he diligently stocked the shelves and made sure everything was in order, he continued "Why don't they just admit it and start dating already?"

They kept their voices intentionally low to avoid alerting Vida and Chip to their conversation. They were in the back, Vida manipulating the records on the turntable as she performed her latest DJ number. "Aw come, on V," Chip exclaimed, his voice loud enough to be heard throughout the store, "you have to do your sign!"

Grinning, Vida complied. "Okay, okay," she said, taking one hand and extending the index and forefinger to make a horizontal V across her eye.

Xander, Nick, and Madison watched this in amusement. "There she goes with her sign again," Xander sighed. Vida had briefly used the sign during performances, but now rarely did it for anyone other than Chip. The fact that it had become a personal symbol to the two was one reason the others were convinced a dating relationship couldn't be far behind. Grinning, Xander suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, Nick, I'll make you a bet."

"What kind of bet?"

Xander's eyes had a mischievous gleam in them. "I got 10 bucks that says Vida's the one to finally make a move."

Nick's eyebrows raised in suspicion. "You're not thinking of trying to play matchmaker, are you?"

Xander shook his head. "Of course not. Just a friendly little bet."

After a moment of thought, Nick said, "All right, you're on. In fact I'll one-up you. Ten bucks says Vida makes a move within a week."

"Deal." Xander stuck out his hand, then turned to Madison. "Maddie, get the handshake on camera for posterity."

As she reached for her video camera which was almost always by her side since she was an aspiring film maker, Madison asked "Hang on. How are you guys going to know whether Vida makes a move in a week?"

"Well," Nick said, "you're her sister. You tell us if she does."

"That's right, Maddie," Xander exclaimed. "You're the official eyes and ears of our wager."

Seeing she didn't have a choice, Madison sighed. "Okay," she said as she filmed the handshake.

Chip and Vida remained completely oblivious to the events transpiring concerning them.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: If anyone cares, this and Chapter 3 were originally supposed to be one chapter but it ended up so long I decided to split them into two separate chapters.

Disclaimer: Guess who owns Power Rangers? Not me!

It was dark in the pit. The only taste of light given to the servants of the underworld was that that radiated from the pool that let them communicate with The Master. And even that light radiated with sinister intent. Only the human world knew of the light that bathed one in warmth and joy. The underworld's forces did not care. Soon enough, that light would be taken away. On his throne sat Imperious, once a great mystic, now a dark wizard and general of the underworld. As he sat vainly fanning himself, he was hard at work concocting a plan to defeat the Power Rangers. Ever since they had gained access to the Legendary Warrior powers, they had become more of a hindrance to his plans. But if he could gain the power for himself, Imperious realized, he would be able to both defeat the Power Rangers and overthrow The Master, and take his rightful place as ruler of both the surface and underworld. He had to have it. Surely the Rangers had some weakness he could exploit. Imperious continued to be lost in thought. And then he knew he had it. He had the perfect plan to gain the Rangers' Legendary Warrior power! He was a genius, the plan was brilliant!

Laughing with an evil cackle, the mummy-like being arose from his throne, his robes billowing as he did so. Raising his fan, he created a dark magic seal. "Wolbullf, I command you to come forth!" A portal opened through the seal, and the monster known as Wolbullf stepped forward. Resembling a cross between a wolf and a bull, the fearsome monstrosity was covered head to toe in fur, its body was pure muscle, its mouth was lined with sharp, vicious fangs, and just as sharp horns protruded from its head.

Kneeling down before Imperious, it asked "What can I do for you, master Imperious?"

"You will go and draw the Power Rangers out into battle," Imperious told the beast. "You will leave the Yellow and Pink Rangers for me to deal with, but the others all are yours."

"Understood, master." Wolbullf let out a mighty howl to indicate its readiness for battle.

"Excellent." Imperious was pleased to see his servant ready for battle. "Now go."

Wolbullf let out another howl as leapt from the pit.

At the Rock Porium, Vida's DJ show had ceased, and she and Chip were hard at work helping Madison and Nick stock the shelves while Xander continued to "supervise." Vida let out a startled cry as she dropped a handful of CDs. Despite being halfway across the store stocking another shelf, Chip was by her side in a flash to help her recover them. As they both kneeled down to retrieve the scattered CDs, their gazes met. Both held still for several seconds, lost in each others' eyes. Then both turned away, their faces a deep red.

Chip's mind was lost on Vida's beauty. She seemed to be growing more beautiful every day. Unbeknownst to Chip, Vida's mind was lost on him. He seemed to be growing more handsome every day. Though neither may have been aware of what the other was thinking, it was plain as day to Nick, Xander, and Madison who watched this exchange with amused faces. They could tell that Chip and Vida were both thinking of the other. And it hadn't escaped their notice that while Vida still did her hair in a variety of highlights, she was favoring yellow more often.

The amusing moment was brought to an end when what sounded like a cell phone's ring tone echoed from the Rangers' waists. But this was anything but a phone call. No doubt it was Udonna, sorceress and the team's mentor, calling them on their morphers to alert them to the presence of dark magic in the city. Nick brought his morpher out and flipped it open. "Rangers, there is dark magic at work on the beach." Udonna's voice had a ring of urgency. "You must go there at once."

Nick nodded. "We're on it." The Red Ranger turned to face the others "We've got work to do. Let's go." He then turned to look at Chip and Vida, both of whom still had a far-off look in their eyes. "Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds' daydreaming, but we've got things to take care of."

Vida's eyes went wide. "Lovebirds?" Her normally strong voice was flustered.

Chip's was equally disconcerted. "Yeah, what are you…"

Nick cut them off. "Guys, focus! We've got dark magic running lose. We have to stop it."

Chip and Vida looked at each other, then back at their teammates and nodded.

"Good," Nick said. "Let's go."

Just as the Rangers bolted for the door, their boss, Toby stepped out of his office. "Hey, where are you guys going off to in such a hurry?" His voice had a ring of surprise to it, even though he had witnessed his employees do this many times in the past few months. Right around the time the Power Rangers showed up, come to think of it…

"Boss…" Xander's mind raced as he tried to think of a cover-up while the others ran ahead. "Lunch break, you know? They're having a special on hot dogs down at the vendor." He followed up by flashing his winning smile.

Toby nodded. "Of course. Lunch. Hot dog special. Just don't take too long."

"Wouldn't dream of it, boss." Xander raced to catch up with the others.

Toby shook his head as he walked back to his office. What could his employees possibly be doing running off all the time? Could it be possible they were the…No, that just couldn't be it.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Like I said on Chapter 2, these were originally one chapter. But it ended up so long I split them up into two separate chapters. Special thanks to Wikipedia's entry on MF on this one for their list of spells, it came in real handy.

Disclaimer: I still don't own the Power Rangers.

High in the sky above Briarwood, the Rangers rushed towards their beach on their Mystic Racers, broom-like jets. "Close call back there," Nick said. "Good thinking with the hot dog excuse, Xander."

Xander nodded. "Thanks. But we better make this quick and get back before Toby gets suspicious."

As the other Rangers nodded their consent, a voice rang out "If you're going to do that, you might want some reinforcements." The Rangers looked behind them to see Daggeron, the Solaris Knight and another mentor figure for them, on his flying carpet.

He held a lamp in his hands, from which a cat-like head popped out. It was none other than Jenji, powerful genie and Daggeron's companion and fighting partner. "Were you guys serious about that hot dog special, though? Because I could really go for a hot dog right now. I could go for anything in fact, I'm so hungry…"

Daggeron cut him off with a slightly irritated snarl. "We can eat later. We've got work to do right now."

"Speaking of which," Madison said, "it looks like we're here." The Rangers looked down to see a wolf/bull-like beast terrorizing the beach patrons.

"All right, Rangers," Nick exclaimed. "Let's do it!"

The six of them dismounted and landed in front of the beast, putting themselves between it and the beach patrons still scrambling for safety.

"That is a super-ugly monster," Chip remarked.

Vida charged forward. "Let's hit this thing hard and fast! Tornado power!" The Pink Ranger quickly shape shifted into a violently spinning tornado. The monster didn't flinch as it was lifted into the air and dropped. Unfazed, it charged right at Vida, knocking her aside with its powerful horns.

"It'll take more than that to stop me!" Vida flipped herself back into the monster's path and lashed out with a side kick. When that proved ineffective, she tried a punch to the gut, then twirled, batting the monster with her cape in the process, and gave it another kick. Wolfbullf simply shrugged off the attack and flung Vida aside, even further this time, then continued its charge.

"Vida!" Chip raced to the fallen Pink Ranger's side. Through his helmet, his eyes shot ice at the monster. His voice was venom. "You'll pay for that! Magistaff, crossbow mode!" Chip's magistaff quickly converted into its crossbow form and Chip wasted no time unleashing charged bolts against Wolbullf, who turned to face the oncoming barrage. The bolts impacted harmlessly against its muscular form, and the beast let out a ghastly howl, the shockwave of which was strong enough to knock Chip down, his suit sparking from the impact.

Wolbullf resumed its mindless charge against the other Rangers. A blast of water from Madison was ineffective, and the Blue Ranger was shoved aside with ease.

"Maddie!" Unleashing a battle cry, Nick charged Wolbullf, his saber at the ready. He was joined by Xander, who likewise had his axe ready to strike. "Let's double-team this freak," Nick shouted.

"Right!" Xander nodded his agreement. The two charged, Xander on the left, and Nick on the right. Xander brought his axe high above his head and down in a powerful strike, while Nick swiftly brought his sword up and diagonally across, aiming for a speed attack. Wolbullf intercepted both weapons and threw his arms towards the sky, causing both Rangers' weapons to go flying. Taking advantage of Nick and Xander's surprise, Wolbullf head butted Xander, then quickly kicked the Green Mystic Ranger aside. Turning to face Nick, the monster lunged toward him and sank its sharp fangs into his shoulder. As Nick screamed in pain, Wolbullf threw him aside, then charged Daggeron.

"Laser Lamp!" Bringing the genie lamp that also doubled as his weapon to the ready, Daggeron unleashed a barrage of energy bolts. But they did nothing to faze the charging Wolbullf. Daggeron readied himself for hand-to-hand combat, but the powerful monster easily knocked away the Solaris Knight.

Meanwhile, Vida and Chip were back on their feet. "Come on," Vida said, "we have to get back in there and fight." Her voice was dripping with determination to show that monster what she was really made of.

"Right!" Chip nodded with determination and enthusiasm. The two charged side-by-side, but as they ran to help their friends, there was a flash of light, and Imperious rose from a dark magic seal in front of them.

"You again," Vida shouted. "I'm going to get you this time! Mystical Wings!" A pair of large, butterfly-like wings sprouted from Vida's back and the Pink Mystic Ranger used them to blow a large gust of wind towards Imperious.

The mummy-like dark wizard laughed. "Bombosa!" He turned into a giant black tornado as he did in their first encounter and knocked away Vida's attack. Then he went on the offensive. "Mutra Vento!" With that spell, he unleashed a torrent of dark lighting at Chip and Vida. The lightning danced along the Rangers' suits, causing them to writhe in agony and scream in pain as they went down.

The others saw the danger their friends were in and regrouped to try and help them. Wolbullf, however, blocked their way. Despite their efforts, they could not get past him to attack Imperious. They were helpless as Imperious cast another spell. "Farria!" A spell seal appeared on the ground below Vida and Chip, who were still trying to recover from the assault of lighting Imperious had just unleashed. The spell seal pulled them into it and in a flash of light they were gone.

The others were in shock as they watched their friends taken away. "You'll pay for this, Imperious!" Nick's voice was filled with fury.

"You won't get away with this," Daggeron shouted in anger.

"I already have! There's nothing you can do to help them! Luthaar!" Imperious laughed as he teleported away.

At Rootcore, the Rangers' safe haven in the midst of the magical forest, Udonna, along with her niece and apprentice Clare, watched the battle in horror in Udonna's crystal ball. "What happened? Where are Chip and Vida? Can't we help them?" Clare's questions came rapidly and full of panic.

Udonna attempted to locate the missing Rangers, but had no success. "The crystal ball cannot locate them," she said sadly. "If it cannot find them then we cannot help them. Wherever Chip and Vida are, they are on their own."


End file.
